Table of Contents

Retirement History Longitudinal Survey, 1977 (ICPSR 7931)

Principal Investigator(s):Social Security Administration

Summary:

This longitudinal study is the fifth in a series of six
surveys conducted to investigate the nature of retirement and the
transition to a retirement lifestyle in the United States. The
first longitudinal study to concentrate on the process of retirement
and to include change over a period of time as an object of study, the
six surveys in the Retirement History Longitudinal Survey (RHLS) aimed
at learning in detail the connections between worklife characteristics,
retirement timing, and th... (more info)

This longitudinal study is the fifth in a series of six
surveys conducted to investigate the nature of retirement and the
transition to a retirement lifestyle in the United States. The
first longitudinal study to concentrate on the process of retirement
and to include change over a period of time as an object of study, the
six surveys in the Retirement History Longitudinal Survey (RHLS) aimed
at learning in detail the connections between worklife characteristics,
retirement timing, and the determinants of style, quality, and conduct
of retirement. With the 1969 study as a baseline, this study, along with
subsequent biennial studies, record the retirement process as it
developed. To provide information on pre-retirement lives and attitudes
of respondents, questions were asked regarding labor force history,
retirement and retirement plans, health, household, family and social
activities, income, assets, and debts for respondents and their spouse.
Detailed information is provided on the sources and size of income and
assets, as well as debts. Questions also focussed on retirement patterns
and determinants of retirement timing, especially the relationship between
pre-retirement income and expected post-retirement income. Also examined
was the influence exerted by health, anticipated post-retirement needs
and resources, employer policies, and significant work history. Labor
force questions covered the respondents' occupation and attitude
toward that occupation, number of hours worked, salary, unemployment,
and job-seeking behavior. Information on retirement plans included
whether and when the respondents planned to retire, reasons for
retirement, whether they had made retirement plans, such as moving
residences or working, expected expenses and resources, and
subjective attitudes toward retirement. Respondents who were already
partially or fully retired were asked to report retrospectively
on retirement age, reasons for retirement, and whether they had planned
for retirement prior to actually retiring. Questions on health experience
pertained to the calendar year prior to the interview, and included
receipts and costs of physical examinations and dentist visits,
hospitalization, prescription and non-prescription medicines,
other medical supplies and services, health insurance coverage and
other resources for payment of medical expenses, and a measure of the
respondent's own physical health. Questions were also asked concerning
leisure activities, proximity and frequency of contact with close
relatives, and receipt of financial support from relatives.
Information on food and housing, property ownership, and transportation
was also gathered to provide a measure of changes in retirement
lifestyle. Demographic items specify race, sex, age, marital
status, education, income, benefits amount, assets, debts, number
of children and children attending school, and household composition
and relationship. Of the 7,993 cases contained in the data file,
7,079 cases represent interviews with original panel members and 914
with surviving spouses of original respondents who died after the
initial 1969 survey.

Dataset(s)

Study Description

Citation

Social Security Administration. RETIREMENT HISTORY LONGITUDINAL SURVEY, 1977. Conducted by U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census/Social Security Administration, Office of Research and Statistics. 2nd ICPSR ed. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [producer and distributor], 1985. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07931.v2

Universe:
Men of all marital status categories in the United States
born between 1905-1911, or aged 58-63 as of March 1, 1969. Women born
between 1905-1911 without husbands were also included in the universe.

Data Types:
survey data

Data Collection Notes:

All records contain weights, which must be used in any
analysis.

Methodology

Sample:
National multistage probability sample. The first (1969)
wave used the same sampling frame as that applied by the United States
Bureau of the Census for the Current Population Survey (CPS). Sample
members were persons who lived in households that had participated in
CPS before February 1969. In subsequent waves, attempts were made to
locate and reinterview original respondents. If the original
respondent had died in the intervening period, a full interview was
conducted with the surviving spouse, where applicable. To qualify as a
surviving spouse, an individual must have been married to and living
with the original respondent at the time of the previous interview and
not have remarried. Interviews were conducted biennially through 1979
when sample members reached ages 68-73.

Data Source:

telephone interviews

Extent of Processing: ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of
disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major
statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to
these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection: